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Roman forts on the Channel coast

The Saxon Shore forts, wall by wall.

What the Saxon Shore forts were, how their walls, towers and gates worked, why they may have been built, and what happened to them after the Romans, from Brancaster and Burgh Castle to Reculver, Richborough, Pevensey and Portchester. Every fact is checked against English Heritage and the UK government, and where sources disagree we show each one.

The history The forts, place by place

Our own drawing of a Roman fort by the sea. Not a picture of any one fort, and not to scale. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison
20D-shaped bastions on Portchester’s walls, and 14 survive English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison
4 mwide: the walls of most later forts, at most English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison
153miles: the Saxon Shore Way footpath today English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison
10,000+oyster shells found at Caister English Heritage: History of Caister Roman Fort

The short version

In the 3rd century AD, several Roman forts were built along the Channel coasts of east and south-east England and northern Gaul. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison All of them were built at important coastal estuaries and inlets. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison

They are known as the “forts of the Saxon Shore” from a single mention in a much later Roman document, the Notitia Dignitatum. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison Nine forts listed in the Notitia as under the Count of the Saxon Shore have been matched with Roman remains between the Wash in Norfolk and the Solent in Hampshire. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison

In the AD 230s, three forts were built on the east coast of Britain: Brancaster and Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk, and Reculver in Kent. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison Archaeologists have shown that the later forts were built at various times between about AD 260 and AD 300. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison

The name led to a long-standing assumption that the forts housed Roman soldiers fighting off “Saxon” pirates. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison The forts may have been built to defend Britain against Rome, rather than against Germanic raiders. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison

parapetwall walkprojecting towerbands of tileflint facingditchgateway
Our own labelled drawing of a Roman fort wall cut through, seen from the side. Not any one fort and not to scale. English Heritage: History of Reculver Towers and Roman Fort English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison English Heritage: History of Burgh Castle Roman Fort English Heritage: History of Reculver Towers and Roman Fort English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison

Start exploring

The history, from AD 43 to todayThe invasion, early and later forts, Carausius, the Count of the Saxon Shore, raids, kings, prisoners and today. How they workedPlaying-card forts, massive walls and towers, gates set back, and life inside. The forts, place by placePortchester, Richborough, Pevensey, Burgh Castle, Caister, Reculver, Brancaster, Bradwell, Dover, Lympne, Walton Castle and across the Channel. People & storiesSoldiers and families, an emperor of Britain, saints, kings, prisoners and diggers. Spotting a Saxon Shore fortWhat to look for, which walls still stand tall, and forts lost to the sea. The big facts pageEvery fact on the site in one list, each with its source.
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Why were they built?

The name led to a long-standing assumption that the forts housed Roman soldiers fighting off “Saxon” pirates. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison There is no written evidence for raiding in Britain at the time the early forts were built. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison

Our sources describe what the forts were for in different ways: see when sources disagree.

And when was Portchester built?

English Heritage says there is no clear evidence for the date of the original fort at Portchester. English Heritage: History of Portchester Castle English Heritage’s Saxon Shore article dates Portchester to around AD 286 and Pevensey to around AD 293. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison

Our sources give different dates: see when sources disagree.

Playing-card shapeearly: no towersSquare with towerslaterOval with towerslater
Our own drawing of three fort shapes, seen from above: a playing-card fort, a square fort with towers and an oval fort with towers. Not any one fort and not to scale. English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison English Heritage: Roman Coastal Defences and the Saxon Shore, by Paul Pattison
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Free Saxon Shore forts printables sample, 6 pages. Pick your paper size:

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Saxon Shore forts printables

Fact-checked PDFs in A4 and US Letter, for ages 7 to 11, ages 11 to 14, families, history fans and visitors.

  • Saxon Shore Forts Junior Topic Pack

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    Meet Portchester, label a fort wall, early and later forts, Roman-times-or-after sorting cards, put-it-in-order date cards, a true-or-false quiz, a crossword where every answer is a real fact, a word search, a comic strip, a fort to colour, a certificate and a full answer key

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  • Saxon Shore Forts History Detective Pack

    Ages 11 to 14

    Why were the Saxon Shore forts built: to keep out Saxon raiders, or to defend Britain against Rome? Six short sources with their provenance, an evidence table, a dates task, questions the sources answer differently, and a judgement task, with full answers

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  • Saxon Shore Forts Family Activity Pack

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    Colouring pages, a fort maze, spot-the-difference, design your own fort, Useless the Eraser’s fort jokes and a 20-question quiz to do together

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    Adult history fans and travellers

    How to read a Saxon Shore fort, walls, towers and gates, early and later forts, 12 places with what English Heritage says about them, a timeline, open questions and a checklist

    $5.99

  • Saxon Shore Forts Visit Journal

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    Before-you-go checklist, what-to-spot tick lists for the walls and inside the fort, six sketch pages, a log for up to 12 visits, and a visit stamps page

    $3.99

  • Saxon Shore Forts Timeline & Poster Set

    Classrooms and home

    Six poster pages: a timeline from AD 43 to 2023, a fort wall cut through, three fort shapes, the way in, Richborough’s great arch, and the forts in numbers

    $3.49
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The Complete Saxon Shore Forts Printables Bundle

All six packs plus a bundle guide, A4 and US Letter, in one download. $12.99 instead of $26.44 bought separately.

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